Book Review: Doodles from the Boogie Down by Stephanie Rodriguez

If there’s one format that needs more love, it’s graphic novels. Thankfully in recent years, we’ve gotten some great ones including Doodles from the Boogie Down.

While most graphic novels are geared toward kids, they can be enjoyed by readers of any age. To me though, graphic novels are such an amazing way of telling a story and help to keep some readers who need more to be engaged.

As an adult, reading graphic novels and comics is a palette cleanser for me. I’m usually a romance reader and that’s pretty much exclusively what I read. Even so, Doodles from the Boogie Down by Stephanie Rodriguez was too cute to resist.

Additionally, these are great books to pass down after reading to those younger readers or teachers you know will add them to their classroom so let’s get into what’s going on with Doodles from the Boogie Down by Stephanie Rodriguez.

Doodles From The Boogie Down is an adorable coming-of-age tale.

If you’re looking for a new graphic novel to add to your collection or have a young reader in your life, Doodles from the Boogie Down is a great one. The story follows Steph who is an eighth-grader who loves hanging out with friends, playing video games, and mostly art. She’s incredibly talented at drawing and wants to go to LaGuardia.

Since this is set in 2000, adult readers will appreciate the references yet a majority of the story is about Steph. She’s at that awkward age where you feel embarrassed about everything. For her, it’s how protective her mom is and how she doesn’t seem to support her artistic dreams. As with most teenagers, she’s dealing with insecurities, teasing, and some drama with her friends.

To me though, the standout of the story is how hard Steph works for her passion. She might not always go about it in the right way, but that’s part of being young. You’re going to make those mistakes and look back, wondering why you did it. That’s why it would make sense that this is based on Stephanie Rodriguez’s life.

While how passionate Steph is about art and all the little moments featured throughout, I couldn’t put this book down. Even though I’m not the target demographic for it, I know I’ll be passing it on to someone who will enjoy the story and its message. I will say that my favorite part was the NSYNC reference because who didn’t love them in the 2000s?

The art style was just so beautiful, too so I highly recommend this one. I’m definitely excited to read more from Stephanie Rodriguez now and I hope she decides to release more graphic novels soon because this was a delight.

Doodles from the Boogie Down by Stephanie Rodriguez is out now wherever books are sold. 

Will you be picking up Doodles from the Boogie Down? Share your thoughts in the comments.